Overhead gas-fueled heater



Mach 23, .1965 R. E. FERIREE 3,174,532

' OVERHEAD GAs-EUELED HEATER Filed April 2, 1962 INVENTOR.

RoY E. FERREE his ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,174,532 OVERHEAD GAS-FUELED HEATER Roy E. Ferree, Valencia, Pa., assigner to Union Chill Mat Company, Sanonburg, Pa. Filed Apr. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 184,252 4 Claims. (Cl. 158-113) This invention relates to directed beam heaters and more particularly to heaters which are so positioned and constructed that substantially the entire heat produced therein, is directed downwardly.

A further object of the invention is to produce a heating unit which is so constructed that the heat generated therein may not only be directed in the form of a somewhat restricted beam, but may also be employed in effectively heating a limited area somewhat remote from the heater.

A further object is to produce a heater from which the substantial portion of the heat generated therein may be directed downwardly in the form of an expanding beam, in the operation of effectively heating a selected, though limited, region below and somewhat removed from the heater.

A further object is to produce a down beam heating unit capable of effectively employing fluid fuel and of heating a limited region located below and somewhat removed from the source of heat without a material loss of heat in any direction other than downward.

A further object is to produce a gas heater of simple construction which is capable of producing a downwardly directed slightly diverging beam of heat onto a region somewhat removed from the heater.

These and other objects made apparent throughout the further description of the invention, are attained by means of apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of a heater embodying my invention; the section having been taken along the broken line I-I of FIGURE 2, however, the gas pipe 13 and accessories are not shown in section;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the heater illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the heater in which the heater is shown with the annular cover removed; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmental radial sectional view of parts of the upper portion of the heater illustrated in the previously mentioned figures and illustrates an arrangement of plates employed in the heater both as deflector and reflector plates.

Referring to the drawings: The herein illustrated embodiment of my invention may be generally described as a down beam radiant heater which may be easily installed in an overhead position and so located as to keep an operator, tools employed and the work or a portion of the work at a comfortable temperature in an otherwise hard to heat region such, for/example, as a location in an industrial factory, a shop, or a Storage area within a building, even though the surrounding temperature is considerably below the comfortable range.

The entire unit is designated by the numeral 10, and illustrates one embodiment of my invention. The unit includes a flat top, circular, gas burner 11 as its heating element. The burner is a known type and receives gaseous fuel through a pipe line 13 which is provided with a control valve 14 that may be manipulated to initiate and shut olf the flow of gas into the burner and also to proportion the flow of gas so as to regulate the amount of heat developed by the burner.

The gas line 13 is also shown as provided with a mixing valve 15 which is capable of regulating the amount of air delivered to the gas passing through the pipe 13 so as to ice obtain eiective and substantially complete combustion of the gas delivered to the burner. The burner 11 is shown surrounded by an open-ended sleeve 16 which in turn is surrounded by an open bottom casing shown as made up of an annular, depending skirt portion 17 and an annular top portion 18. The portions 17 and 18 are secured together by small angle shaped clips 19, spaced around the upper edge of the skirt 17. As indicated, the burner 11 is supported by the pipe 13 and in turn supports the casing 17-18 through the agency of straps 20. The straps are illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. As shown in FIGURE l, each strap is bent to shape and is secured to the burner 11 by suitable means such as a screw 20a. The upper end portion of each strap 20 is so bent that it also engages both the skirt 1'7 and the top portion 18 of the open bottom casing. Each strap 2t) is secured to a positioning ring 21 which surrounds the sleeve 16.

With the arrangement shown, the burner 11 supports the casing 17-18 through the agency of the straps 20, each of which is also secured to the ange of a flanged ring 21 by means of bolts or screw 22. The ring 21 also engages and supports the annular portion 18 of the casing 17-18.

As shown, a dish shaped member 23 is located within the sleeve 16 above the burner and is engaged by the downwardly directed apex of a cone shaped member 24. The member 23 is secured to the sleeve 16 by straps 25 and, as shown, the Sleeve 16 engages and is supported by the straps 20. Thus, the cone shaped member 24 is also supported by the burner and, in turn, supports and is secured to a hanged, circular plate 26, the edge of the flange of which engages the up-turned end 27' of the depending ange 27 of the ring 21. The central portion of the ring 21 is provided with apertures (six in number) 28 which are located opposite to the open central portion of the annular top 18 which forms a part of the open bottom casing 17-18.

As shown in FIGURES -1 and 4, the flange plate 26 is supported by the up-turned edge of the flange 27 of the circular ring 21, rests on and is supported by the upper edge of the cone shaped member 24. The member 24 is secured to the lower face of the plate 26 by means of clips 26a. It is, however, noted that the upper edge of the inverted cone 24 may be outwardly flanged and the flange may be secured to the plate by rivets or, for eX- ample, by an equivalent means such as a shop welding operation.

As shown, the plate 26 is backed up by two flange plates 29 and 30, the anges -of each engage and are supported on the up-turned edge 27 of the ring 21. A flange spacer plate 31 is also located between the uppermost plate 30 and the ring 21. The up-turned edge 31 engages the ring. It will also be apparent that while I have referred to the parts 30, 29, and 26 as flanged plates, I have used the term flanged in a broad sense since the flange of each such plate consists of the down-turned corner edges of the plate.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the heat generated by the llames issuing from the burner 11 and moving upwardly through the sleeve 16 are directed outwardly by the plate 23 and downwardly and laterally by the cone shaped member 24, thus providing an effective downwardly directed beam heater employed for the purpose of heating the region located below it. It is also apparent that the flanged plates 26, 29, and 30 aid in directing the major portion of the heat generated by the burner downwardly and thus contribute to the effectiveness of thel heater.

It is noted that while I have disclosed what I now consider to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, various changes, additions, omissions, and substitutions may be made in the apparatus illustrated without depart- Patented Mar. 23, 1965.

ing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A down beam heater including in its make-up a gas burner; a heat 'directing sleeve located adjacent to said burner; extending upwardly therefrom, and receiving heat therefrom; a dish-shaped member located within said sleeve above and spaced from said burner; a cone-shaped member located above and with its apex engaging the center o f said dish-shaped member; said dish-shaped member having a ilat surface extending substantially perpendicularly to the axis of said cone-shaped member; an openeended casing surrounding said burner, said sleeve, and said cone-shaped member with the open end thereof located adjacent said burner; and means for supporting said heater.

2. A down beam heater including an upwardly directed gas burner; an open-ended sleeve extending upwardly above said burner and surrounding the flame zone above said burner; a cone-shaped member located above said burner and above and spaced from said sleeve, with the apex thereof extending downwardly into the upper open end of said sleeve; a plurality of stacked, contacting flanged plates located above said members, with the anges of each such plate extending downwardly and spaced peripherally from the flanges of each adjacent plate; and an open-ended casing including a top portion located above said plates and a downwardly extending annular skirt secured to said top portion and encircling said burner and coaxial with said sleeve and said member and with the lower open end thereof located adjacent said burner; and means for supporting said heater.

3. A down beamheater including a burner having an upper ported chamber enclosing wall with the ports thereof directed upwardly; a cone-shaped member extending into the llame zone of said burner with the apex thereof directed downwardly toward said burner; a plurality of stacked, anged plates located'above said member with the langes of each such plate extending downwardly below the upper edge of said member and spaced therefrom and spaced peripherally from the flanges of each adjacent plate; and an open-ended casing surrounding said plates and said member with the lower end thereof located adjacent said burner.

4. A down beam heater including a source of heat; an open-ended sleeve located above and receiving heat from said source; a plate located within said sleeve above said source; a cone-shaped heat-directing member spaced from said sleeve with the apex thereof directed downwardly and extending into said sleeve and engaging the center of said plate, and with the base thereof extending radially outwardly of said sleeve; said plate being substantially perpendicular to the axis of said cone-shaped member; at least one flanged plate located above said member with the lange thereof overlapping said member; and an openended casing surrounding said member, said sleeve, and said plate with the open end thereof located adjacent said source.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,074,312 9/13 Collins 126-85 1,314,312 8/19 Emmerson 126-45 1,390,296 9/21 Kirkwood 126-85 2,130,086 9/38 Hart 126-92 X 2,159,149 5/39 Hart.

2,982,350 5/61 Schlitt 158-113 2,985,137 5/61 Horne 126-92 X JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

PERCY L. PATRICK, Examiner. 

4. A DOWN BEAM HEATER INCLUDING A SOURCE OF HEAT; AN OPEN-ENDED SLEEVE LOCATED ABOVE AND RECEIVING HEAT FROM SAID SOURCE; A PLATE LOCATED WITHIN SAID SLEEVE ABOVE SAID SOURCE; A CONE-SHAPED HEAT-DIRECTING MEMBER SPACED FROM SAID SLEEVE WITH THE APEX THEREOF DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY AND EXTENDING INTO SAID SLEEVE AND ENGAGING THE CENTER OF SAID PLATE, AND WITH THE BASE THEREOF EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID SLEEVE; SAID PLATE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID CONE-SHAPED MEMBER; AT LEAST ONE FLANGED PLATE LOCATED ABOVE SAID MEMBER WITH THE FLANGE THEREOF OVERLAPPING SAID MEMBER; AND AN OPENENDED CASING SURROUNDING SAID MEMBER, SAID SLEEVE, AND SAID PLATE WITH THE OPEN END THEREOF LOCATED ADJACENT SAID SOURCE. 